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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23400124">Between honor and lies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticBrony/pseuds/SarcasticBrony'>SarcasticBrony</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure &amp; Romance, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:54:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23400124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticBrony/pseuds/SarcasticBrony</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A knight must choose between his honor and what's right.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original Human Character(s)/Original Feral Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Between honor and lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sir Sadon, it’s good that you’ve come to my call.”</p><p>I take a knee before the king once I am a few feet away from him. Removing my helmet as I rest it on my knee. </p><p>“Ask, and I shall come,” I answer directly.</p><p>“That you do. I know you not to be a man of words, so I will keep mine short. I call upon you with a quest.”</p><p>It’s been a long time since the king has personally requested my assistance. This can only mean that what he asks for is of great importance. Something not for any mere soldier to handle.</p><p>“What is it that you ask?”</p><p>“Simple, my good knight. I want you to slay a dragon.”</p><p>I feel my heart hitch. A dragon has come to this land? While I’ve heard tale of few men slaying the beasts, none have ever proved fruitful, merely words of drunkards looking for a night's worth of glory. The truth of these beasts is that they are secluded. They’ve never been observed bonding with one another and appear to stay by their lonesome. It’s heard far from our land that these creatures cause untold chaos, but we’ve been fortunate enough not to have one come here. </p><p>“Is it causing trouble?” I ask.</p><p>The king shakes his head. “Not now but waiting for it to act will only prove disastrous. You are my most skilled knight, and I bring this quest for you to complete.”</p><p>What the king speaks is true. If these creatures are as dangerous as tales declare, then surely waiting isn’t an option. I give the king a nod as I raise from my knee and put my helmet back on.</p><p>“I accept this quest. Do we know where the beast lies?”</p><p>“It’s taken refuge in a cave southeast. Past the tundra and great lake.”</p><p>This is troubling. The travel there may take a week or more and the threat of the cold a real danger. </p><p>“I will gather supplies for this trip. May I have access to the stables?”</p><p>“But of course. Take what you need and don’t come back till the job is done.”</p><p>Nothing else needs to be said as I turn on my heels and walk out of the king's court. I have to get ready and prepare for the worst.</p><hr/><p>“Everything will be ready in a moment, Sir.”</p><p>“Call me when it’s done,” I say as the peasant quickly leaves me.</p><p>I get back to wiping my blade. Making sure there’s not a single spec of dirt on it. I lift my sword to the light to see the mirror finish as an image of myself appear on it. I can see the various scars on my face and neck. All from battles I’ve won but did not return unscathed. Each one holds a story but not one I care to remember. I turn my sword, so the edge is pointed at me. I run a finger down the side gently and pull away as I notice blood. So sharp that I didn’t even feel the cut, perfect. I wipe the little blood there is and place my blade into its scarab. </p><p>Everything should be ready. My armor is newly smithed, with additions to insulate me. If the beast I face breaths fire, then I want to ensure my hide is far from cooked. The plate metal is the best money could buy with high resistance to heat, making the smith's job hard to create this piece. Still, all this gear will not make this quest any easier. Dragons are said to be giants, if true, one step could kill me, regardless of what I wear.</p><p>This mission will most likely be my last, but this is why I’m alive. To protect the people. If this beast is going to cause trouble, then I have to assure that I die trying to kill it.</p><p>“Everything is now ready.”</p><p>Enough of these thoughts. I put my helmet back on and walk towards the door. Once outside I see that my horse is ready. I walk over to her saddlebags and take a look inside. Provisions for the journey, enough for one man and horse. It’s all I’ll need, as I intend to take no one along with me. I turn to the various peasants that have gathered. I’ve become well known, and friends of these people and I can see the concern in their eyes.</p><p>“Thank you all but hold that worry for your own. I shall return soon with good news.”</p><p>One peasant woman comes up to me.</p><p>“If the tale is true of this dragon, Sir... We must plead for you not to go. Not even you could slay such a beast.”</p><p>“I must try,” I say as I mount my horse. “For the people.”</p><p>Without waiting, I kick my horse in the side to get her to run. It’s funny, while they’ve worried about me whenever I leave for a quest, they’ve never tried to talk me out of going. This must surely be an omen of what lies ahead. Still, there is no choice, for the people and my honor, I shall ride on.</p><hr/><p>It takes a little over a week for me to ride out to where the dragon was last spotted. I count my blessing on having this armor, as it did well against the bite of the cold. My mare was not faring too well, as she was against the elements with nothing but her fur. Though as companions, she kept going without complaint and I gave her rest when needed. As it started to get colder and the hills steeper, I took it to hide her in a small alcove, away from the winds. She could not climb a mountain, so I had to go the rest alone. </p><p>This isn’t the first time I’ve left her alone, so she knew to wait for my return. The next part was the hardest. Climbing up the hill was treacherous, and a single slip would’ve ended my journey swiftly. Hours passed, and soon I made it to the top. There, on the side of the mountain, a large cave. I catch my breath and draw my blade. This is where the beast lies. I do not hesitate as I walk into the mouth of the cave, the clouds and snow block out most of the sun, making this cave pitch black. Damn, I need to make a torch or else I’ll be at a disadvantage. </p><p>I take a moment to make my torch and head inside. This cave is vast, but as I continue, I notice how the light of my torch starts to touch fewer walls. It’s growing in size. After a few more feet the view I have only covered the darkness in front of me and no longer hits any wall I can see. If the beast is as massive as they say, it will sleep here. I stay still as I listen carefully... I can hear it, breaths. If it hasn’t attacked already, it surely must be asleep. </p><p>This is fortunate for me, as now I have the upper hand. I walk closer to the sounds of breath, making sure to make as little noise as possible, but the armor I wear hinders my progress a bit. Soon the beast enters into my light. Hmm... It’s large by not as big as tales have told. Undoubtedly bigger than me but certainly not as big as the castle as I’ve heard. Perhaps the size of a small shack if I were to happen a guess. Still, that will not make me any less cautious. I can’t see its head from where I am, as I appear to be near its hindquarters. I gradually circle to try and find the head. This indeed will be the weak point.</p><p>However, as I work my way around, I notice something... It’s not breathing anymore. I quickly raise my shield as something crashes into it. I’m thrown back a few feet and into a wall. I grit my teeth as blood starts to trickle down the sides of my mouth... That hit almost killed me. My torch was left where I was standing, and I can see the enormous claw of the beast move back into the darkness away from the light.</p><p>“Why have you come here?” </p><p>I hear a whisper but not a whisper on the air but in my head. It’s the dragon. Can they speak or some form of it?</p><p>“I come to slay a dangerous creature,” I answer as I step away from the wall a bit.</p><p>“I’ve done no wrong.” The voice hisses at me.</p><p>“Tale of your kind is not g-” </p><p>I spit up a bit of blood. It seems that hit was harder than I thought. I look behind me to see a pool of blood spilling from my back. I then look at the cave wall to see a long spear-like stone covered in blood. Heh, out of all the places to be flung and I happened to land right on that. I abandon my shield and take my sword into both hands. I’m already dead, but I can’t die without at least leaving my mark.</p><p>“You would choose to die for nothing more than glory?” The voice asks.</p><p>I grit my teeth as my blood continues to spill and my vision begins to blacken. What a pity, all I have left in me is but one strike. To think I would be felled so easy. It doesn’t matter, I have only one goal, and I must strike with all that I have.</p><p>“I die for the people!” I shout as I charge the darkness and swing my blade.</p><hr/><p>Is this the other side? I can’t see anything other than darkness. However, the pain I once had has long since passed. I raise my hand up to my face and still cannot see. I feel my body and a warmth that’s encompassing me. </p><p>“Where am I?” I ask myself.</p><p>“You’re finally awake.” A voice whispers in my mind, the same voice of the dragon from before.</p><p>Panic sets in as I reach to my waist for my blade but am surprised by the fact that I am disrobed. I then reach to the floor I lay upon and explore something I’ve never felt before. Soft and yet sturdy, almost like a warm plate of metal but it’s akin to skin. </p><p>“Calm down.” The voice hums. “You suffered mortal wounds, and it took a great deal to bring you from the darkness.”</p><p>This is a situation I’ve not faced nor is it one to easily comprehend. The beast, the one that cut me down, is claiming to have saved me? There is no doubt that my wounds were mortal but farfetched is the idea of said creature to heal me.</p><p>“Wish to toy with your food?” I remark. “I will provide you no fun, end me or regret my blade later.”</p><p>“Watch your tone, human.” The voice warns. “I will not tolerate your insults for long.”</p><p>“What are you going to do? Kill me?” I mock.</p><p>“Death is satisfactory in your situation. However, what of those you protect?”</p><p>I feel my heart freeze as the threat is laid bare for me. “Tale of dragons are true. Ruthless monsters.”</p><p>“You came here, human.” The dragon speaks. “I did not draw the blade nor forge the steel.”</p><p>“I swore to protect the people from beasts like you.”</p><p>“What have I done to have gained such ire?”</p><p>I’m not too sure what to think of this situation. With everything that’s happened and been said, I feel I need to play the beasts game if only to buy my self time for an opening.</p><p>“I will admit that you’ve done nothing,” I answer. “Still, we cannot allow the possibility.”</p><p>I can hear a snort of anger somewhere in the darkness. “Condemning me for what I am and not who I am. Funny how humans wonder why we strike at them with such fierceness.”</p><p>“Yet here I am still drawing breath,” I state. “If not to make me a plaything, why save me?”</p><p>There’s a long eerie silence. So silent that I can even hear the ringing in my ears and ever so often a droplet of water echoes somewhere in the cave.</p><p>“When I saw your sword, I knew why you came. You’re not the first knight nor would you be the last.” The voice speaks in a tone that I can only assume is anger. “All I wish is to be left alone and yet time after time another one comes. Shouting nonsense about honor and glory.” The voice falls silent for a moment before coming back. “I’ve heard a lot when a knight is in their last moments of life. However, you’re the first that fought for those you cared for. Not riches, fame or prestige.”</p><p>“What does that have to do with anything?” I ask.</p><p>“I’d hate to see one good knight die.”</p><p>In an instant, a blinding light fills the area. I clench my eyes closed as the pain of the sudden change was too much for me to take. After some time I slowly open them again and find that I’m facing the roof of the cave. Where is this light coming from? It’s a faint glow but enough to cover the entire cave. I look down to the odd ground I lay upon and feel my eyes widen. White scales. I want to run, but my body can’t move. </p><p>A shadow casts over me, and I look back up to see the dragon's head looming over me as it stares into my eyes. This is the first time my eyes have ever laid on the beast. Its scales are pure freshly fallen snow but what grabs my attention are the two piercing blue orbs that are watching me. Just looking at this creature is enough to tell me how mighty it is and yet I can’t deny there is an odd beauty to it as well.</p><p>“Be grateful.”</p><p>I feel myself move away from the beast as it sets me on the cold stone floor below. Once I touch the ground, I suddenly feel as if my entire body is under my control. I get up to my feet quickly and make sure to keep my eyes on the dragon in front of me. </p><p>“Grateful for what?” I ask.</p><p>“Take your gear and never come back here.” It warns. “I will not spare you the second time.”</p><p>I hear something being pushed towards me. I look down slightly and see it’s using its tail to shift my gear towards me. I almost forgot that I was fully unveiled. I look over my shoulder to see that no blood was leaking from my person. This is strange, do dragons have magic of some kind? It doesn’t matter; I must wield my gear. I don’t move my sights from the dragon as I pick up my property and quickly put it on.</p><p>However, I take notice that something is missing.</p><p>“My blade,” I say.</p><p>“You’ll do without it.” The voice speaks. “It’s clear you have no intention of leaving here without striking me down. So I’ll give you no choice.”</p><p>Clever. This honestly does put me at a disadvantage. I can’t hope to kill a creature like this with my bare hands. However, going back isn’t a choice I can make. </p><p>“I’m dead either way,” I say. “A knight who fails his mission doesn’t live to see another quest.”</p><p>“And slaying me is not going to happen.”</p><p>Yeah, that’s obvious. Even with all the king's horsemen, there’s no way they could win. Just one strike was enough to wound me grievously. I haven't yet seen if the creature could breathe fire, as the legends say. Still, I can’t leave, not if it comes looking to harm the people.</p><p>“How do I know you’re not going to hurt the villagers?” I ask.</p><p>“All I want is to be left alone. Nothing more.” </p><p>The creature sounds sincere, but this could be the call of a good liar. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard others beg for mercy but instead pull a dagger. However, this creature is not pleading, and the tables in many ways have turned. What would the beast gain from lying to me? The fact is, all I can do is trust what I hear and hope for the best.</p><p>“What name do you swear by?” I ask.</p><p>The dragon continues to face me as silence builds. “Nefiere.” The voice speaks.</p><p>“Return my blade, and I will swear to keep it sheathed, less you break your promise.”</p><p>Once again the silence builds but Nefiere doesn’t say a thing as its tail moves out of sight before returning with my blade. I grab my sword and fasten it around my waist. I look up at the creature and finds that its gaze is still locked onto me. There’s nothing else that can be said, but before I look away, I notice a gash of some kind in their scales. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s where its heart would be. </p><p>Nefiere takes notice of my gaze and runs a claw over the scar.</p><p>“You’ve made your mark.”</p><p>Wait, that last strike I made connected?</p><p>“How?” I ask confused. “Did you not guard against it? I was surely not of sound enough mind to have done anything to caused your reflexes to falter.”</p><p>“Your words were enough. In my shock, your blade struck true.” Nefiere speaks with an honest tone. “Should you have been able-bodied, the blow would’ve been mortal.”</p><p>Was I that close?</p><p>“Truly?” I ask dumbfounded.</p><p>“Truly. Now, go. We have nothing left to discuss. Leave me.”</p><p>"As you wish. I hold you to your word, Nefiere and I will keep mine as Knight Sadon. Hopefully, we will not cross paths again."</p><p>"Verily."</p><p>With nothing else to say, I make my way out of the cave and down the mountain. Despite its words, I looked over my shoulder every so often to ensure it wasn't a game being played. The storm calmed with no snow falling as I enter the alcove where I left my mare. She trots up happy to see me.</p><p>"Atta girl." I pet her some, relieved I made it off that mountain. "Time to go home."</p><p>I mount my steed and head back to town. Though I take a moment to look at the mountaintop. Such an odd encounter, one I never imagined would happen but all I can hope for is that this dragon keeps its word or else I will return to fight it once more.</p><hr/><p>It’s been several weeks since my return. Many have come to revere me as the greatest knight to have walked these lands. Where all have perished to the claws of a dragon, I returned alive. I told no story, but that did not stop others from making their own. A grand battle of which I easily triumphed over such a powerful beast. Tale of my accomplishment spread far and wide.</p><p>The king has given me as much silver as any man could want. Even appointing me as his right hand. With each passing day, I do not relish in what I’ve been given, no I wander in thought of Nefiere. All that I’ve heard and this dragon was nothing of what I was told. So, I find interest, a yearning to know more. While Nefiere has kept its word and proven no threat, that doesn’t mean other dragons aren’t.</p><p>Mayhaps I could turn it as an ally? At the very least know more on taking down a dragon that may prove a problem.</p><p>“You are losing yourself.” A voice calls out.</p><p>I shake from my stupor. “Sorry, my liege.”</p><p>“No, I understand. Being surrounded with no conflict is strange.”</p><p>“Mmm.” I nod slightly. “It has been quiet.”</p><p>“It’s rare to have moments like these. Sir Sadon, I relieve you for the time being. There’s no reason for you to be at my side right now. Go do something.”</p><p>“Sire?”</p><p>“That’s an order,” he states.</p><p>“Very well. Truthfully, I’ve thought of returning to that mountain. There’s something that’s been on my mind.”</p><p>“Perhaps this time you will return with a trinket?”</p><p>“I will see what is left. Dragons are very complex creatures.” I lie.</p><p>“You are free to the stables, but I’m sure you already have things ready.”</p><p>I nod. “I will return with haste once I’m done.”</p><p>“Take your time,” he waves me off. “Should anything arise, I’ll send a falcon to find you.”</p><p>I bow to the king. “Thank you.”</p><p>With nothing else to say, I leave to ready myself to face this dragon once again.</p><hr/><p>Here I stand once more at the mouth of the cave. The entire ride here I’ve been questioning my sanity. What has this curiosity done to me? Any other creature I would’ve left my thoughts to lie, but I can’t stop thinking about this dragon. It healed me, the reasoning still beyond my grasp. I look over my shoulder and down the cliffside. </p><p>Thankfully, I don’t need to worry about my mare, as spring is here and while the peak is covered in a thin layer of snow the alcove I left her has plenty of grass for her to graze on. So, am I going to do this? Before the question was even there I was already walking inside, this time with no torch to light my way. My heart is hammering in my chest, but I ensure my footfall is heavy as to not startle Nefiere.</p><p>Even so, I stop at where I assume the chamber opens to where it lies. I stand there and listen, no breaths.</p><p>“Nefiere,” I call out cautiously. “It is I, Sir Sadon.”</p><p>“Why have you returned?” The rumbling voice echoes through my mind.</p><p>“I’ve become curious,” I answer truthfully. “You’ve also respected our agreement, and I wish to give thanks.” I reach into my bag and pull out a vast amount of meat and set it onto the stone floor. “It may not offer you much, but it was all I could gather in secret.”</p><p>I’m still in pitch darkness as I hear what I set down slide away from me.</p><p>“Is that all?” It asks.</p><p>“I...” I take off my helmet and face the floor. “I’ve also come to apologize. You were correct when we first met. Tales of your kind drove me to act without just cause. I’m a knight, sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves and uphold a standard of being righteous and fair. Because you were no species of mine, I treated you as a beast to be slain like so many animals I’ve put into the afterlife. I could spin you an excuse, but in the end, I regret having not met you with dignity and respect.”</p><p>I take a knee and bow my head as I wait for whatever words Nefiere has to say to me.</p><p>“You were not wrong in the fury of which you struck at me either, Sadon.” Nefiere slowly comes into vision as she lights the crystals around her cave. “The dragon's your kind have come to know are those we’ve banished from the motherland. Ignorant, violent creatures. No, you have no reason to be sorry for fighting against something that could very well destroy all you protect in the blink of an eye. Raise your head.”</p><p>I raise my head and look back up at the pristine white dragon before me. It’s as large as I remember but still not as large as tales have told.</p><p>“Thank you for understanding.” My eyes briefly cast to the scar that’s still on its chest. “Considering the damage I’ve caused.”</p><p>“Hmm?” It raises a scaley brow before resting a claw onto the scar. “Ah, this. I consider it a memory of a knight unlike any other. I could heal it, but that would fade the worth I’ve put into that memory.”</p><p>“Even though it makes a weakness?” I ask.</p><p>“A chink in your armor can be repaired, but one in the flesh should always remain to remind you of what has passed. You would know a lot about that, would you not?”</p><p>I nod. “That I do.”</p><p>I was made bare in front of Nefiere; clearly, it saw my body that is teaming with scarres. I shake those old memories away as I face the dragon before me.</p><p>“Nefiere, I have other reasons for returning.” Its head tilts some but lowers enough to face me.</p><p>“Should I prepare for a fight?”</p><p>“No, nothing like that.” I take my sheathed sword from my side and lay it onto the floor. “I’ve come to talk. I’ve never met a dragon. Would it be wrong to share stories and learn of our differences?”</p><p>Even though the features are foreign to me, I can see cautious skepticism on its face.</p><p>“What would you like to know?” Nefiere asks.</p><p>“How about something simple? Are you male or female?”</p><p>It looks annoyed. “Is it not obvious?”</p><p>I shake my head. “No. You are certainly smaller than the tales I’ve heard of dragons.” I look over Nefiere to try and gauge its sex. “I’m not familiar with dragon anatomy. I suppose you are slim around the neck and your rear rounder than your chest.”</p><p>It leers at me. “Does my voice not offer an inkling?”</p><p>The voice in my head. “I suppose it does have a certain feminine tone to it, but I’ve heard the same from men before.”</p><p>“I’m a female,” she states. “To think humans are so blind.”</p><p>“Can you blame me?” I set my shield down next to my sword. “Is there anything I should look at specifically when meeting a dragon?”</p><p>Nefiere rolls her eyes. “Our horns.”</p><p>“Your horns?”</p><p>“Yes, take a look at mine.” Nefiere leans low and tilts her head to show her horns. “You will find all females take great care in their horns. Males on the other claw rarely groom them.”</p><p>I walk slightly closer and inspect them. She’s correct. Why they look as polished as my very own blade! Not only that but they’re smooth looking, but two spirals run from the base up to the tip that creates a helix. Her horns also appear to start from the back of her head and continue in a perfect line for a foot or so before reaching the tip. Out of reflex from checking my sword, I run my hand up her horn.</p><p>She pulls away quickly and looks shocked. I come to my senses and realize I’ve touched her without consent.</p><p>“I’m terribly sorry, Nefiere! Your horns were so finely groomed I believed them to be my sword for a brief moment.”</p><p>I can tell she’s annoyed but oddly enough the scales around her body appear a shade darker than I last recall.</p><p>“However unlikely the event, never touch a dragoness’ horns.” She states.</p><p>I take a knee. “I apologize for whatever inconvenience I’ve caused.”</p><p>“You are ignorant,” She states. “But willing to learn. What you said before, about size. That is also another factor. Those tales you’ve heard, they may not be as far fetched as you think. Females are smaller than males by multiple times.”</p><p>“So a male could be as large as a castle?”</p><p>“Rare as it may be, it’s not impossible.”</p><p>“Are you a standard size for a, what was it you said? Dragoness?”</p><p>She shakes her head. “I’m on the smaller side. A runt.”</p><p>“I see... How much smaller are we talking?”</p><p>“I’d say a standard female is thrice my size.”</p><p>That’s a very big dragon. True, Nefiere is probably no more than fifteen feet high, with a body length that appears twice that size but to imagine her kind being far larger is shocking. </p><p>“I guess I should count my blessings for having met you. Even though you are powerful, I’m sure a normal dragon would’ve simply blasted me into dust.”</p><p>“I’ve always been interested in learning,” Nefiere says. “It’s why I left my clutch.”</p><p>“Clutch? I’m sorry, but this word is foreign to me.”</p><p>“Family, race, group, pack. It’s all the same for us.”</p><p>“I understand. You’ve set off onto your own adventure?” I ask genuinely interested.</p><p>“Not an adventure but expedition to learn. You see, our kind doesn't desire thinking dragons. Obedience is what we are taught from an early age. You obey, or you leave. I’ve always been curious about what lay outside our mountain, so I left when no elder would speak.”</p><p>“You are a scholar? I’ve read many a book as having a sharp blade, and dull mind ends the life of any would be knight. Are you curious of anything I may know?”</p><p>Nefiere raises a scaley brow once more. “You are willing to share your knowledge?”</p><p>“Within reason,” I admit forthright. “I’d like us to share freely between one another but know that some things must remain hidden. Perhaps as time moves, we will find peace in sharing that information, but I do not ask of such deeds so quickly.”</p><p>“You are an honest male,” Nefiere states, laying her head onto the floor. “Very well. You have my attention, Sadon. What are those odd structures outside of the castles?”</p><p>“Structures?” I try to think of what she’s talking about but haven’t the faintest clue. “Please elaborate.”</p><p>“They are like small squares, a lot of them with humans tending them. They make a strange grass.”</p><p>“You mean our farms?”</p><p>“Farm?”</p><p>“We raise and grow our food. Do dragons not do that?”</p><p>She shakes her head. “No, we simply hunt.”</p><p>Such an interesting concept. "Do I take it that dragons are purely meat eaters?"</p><p>She nods. "Correct."</p><p>"There is a slight difference between your kind and my own. The 'strange grass' you note is called wheat. We use this plant to make bread."</p><p>I can see Nefiere's features grow in confusion but curiosity. "Interesting. Why not hunt for your meals or this 'bread'?"</p><p>I chuckle at the idea of hunting for a plant. "We must feed everyone, Nefiere. Hunting can only do so much before supplies run thin. I'm sure for a dragon it's easy to feed oneself but as numbers grow, so does the need to feed mouths. It's easier to breed the horses to carry our things or raise the cattle to be eaten once they are big."</p><p>"Humans are strange, but I can't deny the logic behind it. You cannot soar the skies as I do, nor can you hunt for only yourself. You work together to make up for these weaknesses. This is vastly different from my kind."</p><p>"Do you care to detail that line?" I ask.</p><p>"Very well. It's as you say, we hunt for ourselves. While we may have a clutch, it's nothing more than a group to threaten other clutches that wish to invade our territory. When we are born, we are tossed from the highest mountain. Those who fly survive, the others who fall feed the forests below."</p><p>"That is rather brutal." </p><p>"Yes, you are right about that. I barely caught myself before I hit the forest floor and from there I was told to hunt for my first meal or starve. A lot of those scars healed with time but where my peers continued to grow, I remained a runt." </p><p>While subtle, I notice her angered tone.</p><p>"Are runts treated harshly?" I ask.</p><p>She lets out a sizable sigh. "To say the least."</p><p>"Pardon, that was rude of me to ask." I kneel with my head bowed. "I too know the hardships of being underdeveloped."</p><p>"Spin me a tale," Nefiere asks while I keep my head facing the floor.</p><p>"My swordsmanship has always been top notch. However, I too was a runt in my youth. Small, weak and unlearned. I had lost my parents in a raid and was nothing more than a street rat. It was tough surviving, and others looked to take advantage wherever they could." I reach for the handle of my blade and give it a light squeeze. </p><p>"I fought, I killed, and I grew. No longer content with my life, I pushed myself to the limits. Those scars you saw where one of many tales. I taught myself to read and write so that not even a book could best me. In all these years, I fought never to become what I once was and to fight for those who have yet to become me."</p><p>I look up to Nefiere and find that while her face is mostly neutral, her eyes have a certain moving quality to them. As if she's empathetic to my story.</p><p>"Yes, this is an essence I noticed when we first met." Nefiere states, absentmindedly running a claw over her scar. "You are nothing like my kin, and that's a good thing."</p><p>"And you are nothing like my own; I too find solace in that."</p><p>She chuckles lightly. "What a strange place we find ourselves. Surely any creature to happen upon us would think they'd gone mad."</p><p>I too chuckle at the idea. "Truer words have never been spoken."</p><p>Nefiere and I share a good laugh, but it soon dies down as we are left to the silence of the cave.</p><p>"You should go," Nefiere says. "Night will soon fall."</p><p>I nod. "Precisely, I cannot leave my mare unattended. However, I intend to stay here for a few more days before returning to the kingdom. I hope you don't mind my visiting again?"</p><p>Nefiere, while stonefaced, raises a brow.</p><p>"You intend to make this a regular thing?"</p><p>"If it's of no bother to you. It takes weeks to come to this mountain, so I'd like to get to know you before leaving. Perhaps I'll return, should you not eat me by then," I joke.</p><p>She smirks. "I'm sure you'd give me an upset stomach. Either way, I'm here, so do as you will."</p><p>I get up and adjust my armor to sit comfortably. "Then I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Nefiere."</p><p>"May blackness take you for only this night," Nefiere responds.</p><p>While a strange way to say goodnight, I give a nod before leaving her home. The climb down the mountain is easier, as I brought a rope to help scale the majority of it. So with haste, I land onto the floor and find my mare eagerly awaiting me as I walk to the alcove I left her.</p><p>"Good girl," I say petting her. "I'll make a fire; then we can rest."</p>
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